Jaffna climate
Jaffna (Sri Lanka) has a tropical savanna (dry summer) climate (Köppen As). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C83 °F, and about 1,143 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Jaffna climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 2576 | 2679 | 451.8 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2577 | 2780 | 331.3 |
| Mar | 3087 | 2679 | 2883 | 391.5 |
| Apr | 3189 | 2882 | 3086 | 753.0 |
| May | 3187 | 2883 | 3085 | 783.1 |
| Jun | 3087 | 2882 | 2984 | 210.8 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2882 | 2984 | 241.0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2781 | 2983 | 502.0 |
| Sep | 3086 | 2781 | 2883 | 732.9 |
| Oct | 2985 | 2780 | 2883 | 2108.3 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2679 | 2781 | 29312 |
| Dec | 2781 | 2578 | 2680 | 2028.0 |
| Year | 3189 | 2576 | 2883 | 1,14345 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 52% | 4.8 | 11:37 |
| Feb | 75% | 43% | 5.7 | 11:49 |
| Mar | 73% | 40% | 6.3 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 73% | 52% | 6.2 | 12:20 |
| May | 79% | 61% | 5.8 | 12:34 |
| Jun | 78% | 66% | 5.8 | 12:41 |
| Jul | 76% | 72% | 5.6 | 12:38 |
| Aug | 77% | 70% | 5.7 | 12:26 |
| Sep | 78% | 66% | 5.7 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 79% | 67% | 5.0 | 11:54 |
| Nov | 81% | 73% | 4.1 | 11:40 |
| Dec | 81% | 67% | 4.0 | 11:34 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Jaffna is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 31 °C89 °F and a low of 28 °C82 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 25 °C76 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.9 °C7 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,143 mm45 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 62% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (293 mm12 in), the driest is June (21 mm0.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 73% in March to 81% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 40%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 12 km/h (8 mph) in April to 25 km/h (16 mph) in June. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Jaffna
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January and February: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 33 mm1.3 in to 45 mm1.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (293 mm12 in) and humid (81% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Jaffna
- Wetter months (October–December) — highs 2781 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 2578 to 27 °C80 °F, about 235 mm9.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (January–September) — highs 2781 to 31 °C89 °F, lows 2576 to 28 °C83 °F, about 49 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Jaffna compares
Compared with Karaikkudi, about 143 km to the west, Jaffna has practically the same average temperature and receives 25% more precipitation (1,143 mm45 in vs 915 mm36 in). The difference is largest in December (1.9 °C3.5 °F warmer).
Of the 6 places in Sri Lanka covered by World Climates, Jaffna is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 6th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Sri Lanka climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Nagapattinam (India, Aw), Karaikkudi (India, Aw) and Mombasa (Kenya, As).
Nearby places
- Nagapattinam 123 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,051 mm41 in
- Karaikkudi 143 km · 28 °C83 °F · 915 mm36 in
- Pudukkottai 152 km · 28 °C82 °F · 844 mm33 in
- Thanjavur 156 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,011 mm40 in
- Trincomalee 181 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,565 mm62 in
- Tiruchirappalli 192 km · 28 °C83 °F · 830 mm33 in
- Madurai 209 km · 28 °C82 °F · 959 mm38 in
- Neyveli 223 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,044 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Jaffna?
April is the warmest month in Jaffna, with an average high of 31 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 28 °C (82 °F).
What is the coldest month in Jaffna?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (76 °F).
When does it rain the most in Jaffna?
November is the wettest month with about 293 mm (11.6 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 21 mm (0.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Jaffna?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January and February.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.